Deploying an application in a cloud computing environment

ABSTRACT

A technique for deploying an application in a cloud computing environment includes: collecting, while a user is deploying an application, metadata and instructions issued by the user on deploying the application, the metadata comprising service metadata, application metadata and topology metadata, wherein the service metadata comprise metadata on a service required for deploying the application, the application metadata comprise metadata on the application, and the topology metadata comprise metadata indicative of a relationship between the service and the application; and storing the collected metadata and instructions as a model for re-deploying the application.

BACKGROUND

In a cloud computing environment, multiple users possibly need to use acertain application. For these users, currently each of them has tocomplete deployment of the application by himself/herself. Applicationdeployment requires certain specialized skills. Therefore, it is ratherdifficult for some users to deploy an application by themselves. Thislimits development of the cloud platform to some extent and also bringsabout inconvenience to usage. Furthermore, in a cloud computingenvironment, if a user needs to deploy one identical application severaltimes, he/she has to perform the same operation each time, which wastesboth time and energy.

BRIEF SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the present disclosure a method and techniquefor deploying an application in a cloud computing environment isdisclosed. The method includes: collecting, while a user is deploying anapplication, metadata and instructions issued by the user on deployingthe application, the metadata comprising service metadata, applicationmetadata and topology metadata, wherein the service metadata comprisemetadata on a service required for deploying the application, theapplication metadata comprise metadata on the application, and thetopology metadata comprise metadata indicative of a relationship betweenthe service and the application; and storing the collected metadata andinstructions as a model for re-deploying the application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present application, theobjects and advantages thereof, reference is now made to the followingdescriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 illustrates a cloud computing node according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a cloud computing environment according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates abstraction model layers according to an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic flowchart of a method for deploying anapplication in a cloud computing environment according to an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic flowchart of a method for deploying anapplication in a cloud computing environment according to an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic flowchart of a method for deploying acomposite application in a cloud computing environment according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a system fordeploying an application in a cloud computing environment according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a storing moduleprovided by an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a system fordeploying an application in a cloud computing environment according toan embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a system fordeploying an application in a cloud computing environment according toan embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

To simplify application deployment in a cloud computing environment,embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system andcomputer program product for deploying an application in a cloudcomputing environment, and further provide a method, system and computerprogram product for deploying a composite application in a cloudcomputing environment.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided amethod and system for deploying an application in a cloud computingenvironment, the method comprising: collecting, when a user is deployingan application, metadata and instructions on deploying the application,the metadata comprising service metadata, application metadata andtopology metadata, wherein the service metadata comprise metadata on aservice required for deploying the application, the application metadatacomprise metadata on the application, and the topology metadata comprisemetadata indicative of a relationship between the service and theapplication; and storing the collected metadata and instructions as amodel for re-deploying the application.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda method for deploying an application in a cloud computing environment,the method comprising: acquiring a model obtained according to theforegoing method; preparing services used for deploying the applicationaccording to instructions and service metadata in the model; pushing theapplication to a running environment according to instructions andapplication metadata in the model; and binding the prepared services tothe application according to instructions and topology metadata in themodel.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda method for deploying a composite application in a cloud computingenvironment, the composite application at least comprising a firstsub-application and a second sub-application, the method comprising:acquiring a model of the first sub-application obtained according to theforegoing method; acquiring a model of the second sub-applicationobtained according to the foregoing method; generating lifecyclemanagement information of the composite application according totopology metadata in the model of the first sub-application and topologymetadata in the model of the second sub-application; and storing themodel of the first sub-application, the model of the secondsub-application and the lifecycle management information of thecomposite application as a model of the composite application fordeploying the composite application.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda system for deploying an application in a cloud computing environment,the system being capable of executing the foregoing methods.

The technical solution provided by the present invention can simplifydeployment of applications in the cloud computing environment, lowerrequirements on specialized skills of application deployment, and makeit convenient for users to use applications in the cloud computingenvironment.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

Some embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which the preferable embodiments of thepresent disclosure have been illustrated. However, the presentdisclosure can be implemented in various manners, and thus should not beconstrued to be limited to the embodiments disclosed herein. On thecontrary, those embodiments are provided for the thorough and completeunderstanding of the present disclosure, and completely conveying thescope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

It is understood in advance that although this disclosure includes adetailed description on cloud computing, implementation of the teachingsrecited herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail).The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloudinfrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage,or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exceptionof limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure comprising anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic of an example of a cloud computingnode is shown. Cloud computing node 10 is only one example of a suitablecloud computing node and is not intended to suggest any limitation as tothe scope of use or functionality of embodiments of the inventiondescribed herein. Regardless, cloud computing node 10 is capable ofbeing implemented and/or performing any of the functionality set forthhereinabove.

In cloud computing node 10 there is a computer system/server 12, whichis operational with numerous other general purpose or special purposecomputing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-knowncomputing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may besuitable for use with computer system/server 12 include, but are notlimited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thinclients, thick clients, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmableconsumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframecomputer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments thatinclude any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

Computer system/server 12 may be described in the general context ofcomputer system-executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer system. Generally, program modules may includeroutines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and soon that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes. Computer system/server 12 may be practiced in distributed cloudcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be locatedin both local and remote computer system storage media including memorystorage devices.

As shown in FIG. 1, computer system/server 12 in cloud computing node 10is shown in the form of a general-purpose computing device. Thecomponents of computer system/server 12 may include, but are not limitedto, one or more processors or processing units 16, a system memory 28,and a bus 18 that couples various system components including systemmemory 28 to processor 16.

Bus 18 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures,including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, anaccelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of avariety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation,such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus,Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, VideoElectronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and PeripheralComponent Interconnect (PCI) bus.

Computer system/server 12 typically includes a variety of computersystem readable media. Such media may be any available media that isaccessible by computer system/server 12, and it includes both volatileand non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.

System memory 28 can include computer system readable media in the formof volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 30 and/or cachememory 32. Computer system/server 12 may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system 34 can be provided forreading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media(not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although not shown, amagnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable,non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical diskdrive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile opticaldisk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided.In such instances, each can be connected to bus 18 by one or more datamedia interfaces. As will be further illustrated and described below,memory 28 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g.,at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out thefunctions of embodiments of the invention.

Program/utility 40, having a set (at least one) of program modules 42,may be stored in memory 28 by way of example, and not limitation, aswell as an operating system, one or more application programs, otherprogram modules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one ormore application programs, other program modules, and program data orsome combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networkingenvironment. Program modules 42 generally carry out the functions and/ormethodologies of embodiments of the invention as described herein.

Computer system/server 12 may also communicate with one or more externaldevices 14 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display 24, etc.;one or more devices that enable a user to interact with computersystem/server 12; and/or any devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.)that enable computer system/server 12 to communicate with one or moreother computing devices. Such communication can occur via Input/Output(I/O) interfaces 22. Still yet, computer system/server 12 cancommunicate with one or more networks such as a local area network(LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g.,the Internet) via network adapter 20. As illustrated, network adapter 20communicates with the other components of computer system/server 12 viabus 18. It should be understood that although not shown, other hardwareand/or software components could be used in conjunction with computersystem/server 12. Examples include, but are not limited to: microcode,device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays,RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival storage systems, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an exemplary cloud computing environment 50 isillustrated. As shown, the cloud computing environment 50 comprises oneor more cloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices usedby cloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant(PDA) or cellular telephone 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer54C, and/or automobile computer system 54N, may communicate. Nodes 10may communicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown)physically or virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private,Community, Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or acombination thereof. This allows the cloud computing environment 50 tooffer infrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which acloud consumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shownin FIG. 2 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with any type ofcomputerized device over any type of network and/or network addressableconnection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 3, a set of functional abstraction layers providedby cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 2) is shown. It should beunderstood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shownin FIG. 3 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments of theinvention are not limited thereto. As illustrated in FIG. 3, thefollowing layers and corresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include mainframes, in oneexample IBM® zSeries® systems; RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer)architecture based servers, in one example IBM pSeries® systems; IBMxSeries® systems; IBM BladeCenter® systems; storage devices; networksand networking components. Examples of software components includenetwork application server software, in one example IBM Web Sphere®application server software; and database software, in one example IBMDB2® database software. (IBM, zSeries, pSeries, xSeries, BladeCenter,WebSphere, and DB2 are trademarks of International Business MachinesCorporation registered in many jurisdictions worldwide).

Virtualization layer 62 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers;virtual storage; virtual networks, including virtual private networks;virtual applications and operating systems; and virtual clients.

In one example, management layer 64 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning provides dynamic procurement of computingresources and other resources that are utilized to perform tasks withinthe cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing provide costtracking as resources are utilized within the cloud computingenvironment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may comprise applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management providescloud computing resource allocation and management such that requiredservice levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planning andfulfillment provides pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloudcomputing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated inaccordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 66 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions that may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation; software development and lifecycle management; virtualclassroom education delivery; data analytics processing; transactionprocessing; and Mobile Desktop.

With reference now to FIG. 4, this figure shows a method for deployingan application in a cloud computing environment provided by oneembodiment of the present invention. The method comprises: in step 410,collecting, when a user is deploying an application, metadata andinstructions on deploying the application, the metadata comprisingservice metadata, application metadata and topology metadata, whereinthe service metadata comprise metadata on a service required fordeploying the application, the application metadata comprise metadata onthe application, and the topology metadata comprise metadata indicativeof a relationship between the service and the application; in step 420,storing the collected metadata and instructions as a model forre-deploying the application. According to the method provided by thisembodiment, while a user deploys an application for the first time, theuser's deployment operations are recorded as a model by collecting andrecording metadata and instructions. If wanting to re-deploy theapplication, the user can automatically deploy the application byinvoking the model, without performing manual deployment operationsagain, thereby saving a lot of work for the user. For a user withoutspecialized skills of deploying applications, specialists may deployapplications once; by means of the method provided by this embodiment,the specialists' deployment operations are recorded to form deploymentmodels of these applications, and the user without specialized skillssimply needs to select a corresponding deployment model or anapplication desired to be deployed, thereby automatically deploying theapplication. This makes it convenient for usage and lowers requirementson the user skills.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the service metadatacomprise one or a combination of: a type of the service, a name of theservice, an ID of the service, a version of the service andconfiguration of the service. The application metadata comprise one or acombination of: a type of the application, a name of the application, anID of the application and configuration of the application. The topologymetadata comprise one or a combination of: an ID of the application, anID of the service, a name of the application, a name of the service,binding configuration and binding policy. In one embodiment of thepresent invention, configuration of the service comprises, for example,at least one of resource configuration and service policy configuration.In one embodiment of the present invention, configuration of theapplication comprises, for example, at least one of resourceconfiguration and application policy configuration. For example, whiledeploying an application, a user issues following instructions:

Instruction 1: create webapp -name MyApp -file mypackage.war -configmyapp.conf

Instruction 2: create service -name My Service -service DB2 -version 9.0

Instruction 3: bind -app MyApp -service MyService

Herein, application metadata comprise: name MyApp of the application,code file package mypackage.war of the application, and configurationmyapp.conf of the application. Service metadata comprise: name MyServiceof the service, type DB2, and version 9.0. Topology metadata comprise:name MyApp of the application and name MyService of the service,indicating MyService is to be bound to MyApp.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the instructions ondeploying the application comprise, for example, at least one of:creating a running environment of the application; pushing theapplication to the running environment; creating the service; looking upthe service in a service catalog; deleting the service; starting theapplication; stopping the application; starting the service; stoppingthe service; building binding between the application and the service;unbinding the application with the service; revising configurationinformation of the application; revising configuration information ofthe service; deleting the application.

In one embodiment of the present invention, step 420 may store thecollected metadata and instructions in a file or as data records; thepresent invention is not limited in this regard.

In one embodiment of the present invention, step 420 for examplecomprises storing, according to an operational order in which the userdeploys the application, the collected metadata and instructions to forma model for re-deploying the application. Those skilled in the art mayunderstand in step 410 the collecting metadata and instructions may beimplemented concurrently with the user's deployment operations, i.e. themetadata and instructions are collected according to an operationalorder in which the user deploys the application, so the collectedmetadata and instructions are directly stored. Or since the collectedmetadata and instructions might be invalid or redundant, an order of thecollected metadata and instructions is adjusted before being stored, thestorage following the operational order in which the user deploys theapplication. While deploying an application, some services need to bebound to the application in order, so by storing the collected metadataand instructions in order to form a model, services can be bound to theapplication during re-deployment, thereby avoiding errors or conflictsduring deployment and increasing the success rate of automaticdeployment.

In one embodiment of the present invention, step 420 may comprise, forexample, removing redundancy from the collected metadata andinstructions. The collected metadata and instructions may containpartial redundancy, such as invalid metadata and instructions, orduplicated metadata and instructions. For example, while deploying anapplication, the user might issue the instructions for pushing theapplication several times; since only the instruction issued for thelast time is a valid instruction, only the last push instruction andmetadata on the instruction such as the number of instances and QoSindex are saved, while other push instructions and relevant metadata areremoved. Those skilled in the art may understand the removing redundancyfrom the collected metadata and instructions may be implemented whilemetadata and instructions are being collected, or implemented after allmetadata and instructions are collected. Thus, step 420 for example maycomprise one of: analyzing the collected metadata and instructions,removing redundant metadata and instructions, storing, according to anoperational order in which the user deploys the application, metadataand instructions from which redundancy has been removed to form a modelfor re-deploying the application; storing the collected metadata andinstructions according to an operational order in which the user deploysthe application, analyzing the stored metadata and instructions,removing redundant metadata and instructions to form a model forre-deploying the application. In this embodiment, the analyzing thecollected metadata and instructions may be, for example, semanticanalysis or processing according to predefined rules. Those skilled inthe art may understand other techniques may be adopted for analysis, andthe present invention is not limited in this regard.

In one embodiment of the present invention, step 420 may furthercomprise, for example, combining invalid operation instructions. Whilethe user deploys an application, invalid operations might exist, whichresults in invalidation of a part of the collected metadata andinstructions. For example, while the user deploys application A, he/shecreates service B and binds service B to application A. Later, the userfinds service C is more suitable than service B, and thus unbindsservice B and binds service C to application A. At this point,instructions as creating, deleting and binding service B are invalidinstructions, and metadata on these instructions are invalid metadata.The method provided by this embodiment can combine invalid metadata andinstructions, thereby further optimizing subsequent automaticdeployment. Those skilled in the art may understand the combination maybe conducted concurrently with the collection, or the combination isconducted after all metadata and instructions are collected. Thus, step420 for example may comprise one of: analyzing the collected metadataand instructions, combining invalid metadata and instructions, storing,according to an operational order in which the user deploys theapplication, the combined metadata and instructions to form a model forre-deploying the application; and storing the collected metadata andinstructions according to an operational order in which the user deploysthe application, analyzing the stored metadata and instructions,combining invalid metadata and instructions to form a model forre-deploying the application. In this embodiment, the analyzing thecollected metadata and instructions may be, for example, semanticanalysis or processing according to predefined rules. Those skilled inthe art may understand other techniques may be adopted for analysis, andthe present invention is not limited in this regard.

In one embodiment of the present invention, step 420 may comprise, forexample, combining invalid metadata/instructions and removing redundantmetadata/instructions. Concrete approaches may refer to the aboveembodiment. In this embodiment, if a method for combining metadata andinstructions or removing metadata and instructions exists, the method isapplicable to the same or different objects.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the method for combining andremoving invalid and redundant metadata and instructions comprises, forexample: in response to there being multiple push instructions,retaining the last push instruction and relevant metadata only; inresponse to there being a delete instruction with respect to a certainservice, removing all delete instructions with respect to the serviceand relevant metadata, and all create instructions with respect to theservice and relevant metadata before the last delete instruction withrespect to the service; in response to there being a stop instructionwith respect to a certain application, removing all stop instructionswith respect to the application and relevant metadata, and all startinstructions with respect to the application and relevant metadatabefore the last stop instruction with respect to the application; inresponse to there being a stop instruction with respect to a certainservice, removing all stop instructions with respect to the service andrelevant metadata, and all start instructions with respect to theservice and relevant metadata before the last stop instruction withrespect to the service; in response to there being an unbindinginstruction with respect to binding between a certain application and acertain service, removing all unbinding instructions with respect to thebinding and relevant metadata, and all binding instructions with respectto the binding and relevant metadata before the last unbindinginstruction. Those skilled in the art may understand other methods forcombining invalid instructions/metadata or removing redundantinstructions/metadata may be obtained according to the above example,which is not detailed here.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the method as shown in FIG.4 further comprises: in response to the user applying to the applicationwhich has been deployed a further operation related to the deploying,collecting the metadata and instructions involved in the operation andupdating to the model the metadata and instructions involved in theoperation, wherein the metadata involved in the operation comprise atleast one of service metadata involved in the operation, applicationmetadata involved in the operation and topology metadata involved in theoperation. Using the method provided by this embodiment, if the userrevises an application that has been deployed, the stored model may berevised by recording the user's operation, so that the revisedapplication can be directly deployed in later re-deployment. Further,using the method provided by this embodiment, multiple versions of themodel may be saved to correspond to applications before revision andafter each revision respectively, thereby making it convenient for theuser to select a proper version among different versions of theapplication for deployment. In one embodiment of the present invention,the updating to the model the metadata and instructions involved in theoperation comprises, for example: at least one of redundancy removingand invalid combining with respect to the collected metadata andinstructions involved in the operation and the stored metadata andinstructions in the model, and then storing the processed metadata andinstructions as a model for re-deploying the application.

As shown in FIG. 5, one embodiment of the present invention provides amethod for deploying an application in a cloud computing environment.The method comprises: acquiring a model in step 510, the model being amodel that has been obtained according to or in conjunction with theabove method embodiments; preparing services used for deploying theapplication according to service metadata in the model in step 520;pushing the application to a running environment according toapplication metadata in the model in step 530; and binding the preparedservices to the application according to topology metadata in the modelin step 540. According to the method provided by this embodiment, it ispossible to realize automatic application deployment in the cloudcomputing environment, thereby facilitating usage and reducingrequirements on users' specialized skills. Those skilled in the art mayunderstand in this embodiment, with respect to multiple services, firstall services may get prepared, then bind the prepared services to theapplication, or bind each service to the application once the servicegets prepared, or prepare and bind services in other order. In this andfollowing embodiments, the method shown in FIG. 5 may further comprise:starting the service, starting the application, stopping the service,stopping the application, deleting the service, and deleting theapplication, which is not detailed here.

In one embodiment of the present invention, step 520 for examplecomprises: preparing services used for deploying the applicationaccording to instructions and service metadata in the model and in anorder of instructions in the model. Step 540 for example comprises:binding the prepared services to the application according toinstructions and topology metadata in the model and in an order ofinstructions in the model. According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4,instructions and metadata in the model are stored according to anoperational order in which the user deploys the application. Therefore,by preparing required services and binding the services to theapplication in the same order of instructions in the model, it ispossible to ensure automatic deployment follows the operational order ofthe user's deployment, increase the success rate of automaticdeployment, and prevent disorder of added services that are dependent oneach other.

In one embodiment of the present invention, step 520 for examplecomprises one or a combination of: with respect to a dedicated service,creating a new dedicated service according to instructions and servicemetadata in the model; with respect to a shared service, if the sharedservice already exists, using the existing shared service, if the sharedservice does not exist, creating a new shared service according toinstructions and service metadata in the model; and with respect to anexternal service reference, creating a new external service referenceaccording to instructions and service metadata in the model.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the method shown in FIG. 5further comprises: when the system stops, unbinding an application andservices in an order reverse to an order in which the services are boundto the application, and stopping corresponding services and application.

Detailed illustration is presented below to the embodiment shown in FIG.5 by a concrete example. User A is a user without any specialized skillsof deployment, while specialist B is a user with specialized skills ofdeployment. Specialist B deploys application 1 once in advance of A'sdeployment. According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a model ofapplication 1 can be obtained by recording deployment of application 1by specialist B. User A selects to deploy application 1 through aninterface, at which point according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5,model a of application 1 is obtained. In model a there are stored: namex1 of application 1, identifier id1 of application 1, instruction N1,instruction N2, name x2 of service 1, version v2 of service 1,instruction N3, name x3 of service 2, version v3 of service 2,instruction N4, and binding configuration p1 in this order. Among them,instruction N1 is to push to a running environment an application with aname of x1 and an identifier of id1; instruction N2 is to create adedicated service with a name of x2 and a version of v2; instruction N3is to look up a shared service with a name of x3 and a version of v3 ina service catalog, and to create a service with a name of x3 and aversion of v3 in response to the shared service not being found;instruction N4 is to execute binding with a name of p1. In an order ofinstructions stored in the model, service 1 and service 2 are created,and service and service 2 are bound to application 1, so thatapplication 1 is deployed automatically.

As shown in FIG. 6, one embodiment of the present invention provides amethod for deploying a composite application in a cloud computingenvironment. The composite application comprises at least twosub-applications, i.e. a first sub-application and a secondsub-application. The method comprises: in step 610 acquiring a model ofthe first sub-application obtained according to the foregoing methodembodiments or a combination thereof; in step 620, acquiring a model ofthe second sub-application obtained according to the foregoing methodembodiments or a combination thereof; in step 630, generating lifecyclemanagement information of the composite application according totopology metadata in the model of the first sub-application and topologymetadata in the model of the second sub-application; and in step 640,storing the model of the first sub-application, the model of the secondsub-application and the lifecycle management information of thecomposite application as a model of the composite application fordeployment of the composite application. In this embodiment, there is nospecific execution order between step 610 and step 620. In oneembodiment of the present invention, the lifecycle managementinformation of the composite application comprises, for example, atleast one of: the first sub-application, the second sub-application,creating, starting, stopping, updating and deleting services required bythe first sub-application and the second sub-application. By means ofthe method provided by the embodiment as shown in FIG. 6, a model of thecomposite application can be obtained, thereby making it convenient forthe user to deploy the composite application. Moreover, if the model ofthe first sub-application or the second sub-application already exists,using the method provided by this embodiment, a stored model can beobtained directly, and a model of the composite application can beobtained by generating lifecycle management information of the compositeapplication, thereby simplifying deployment of the composite applicationhaving multiple sub-application modules and making full use of existingresources. For example, application W comprises two sub-applications,i.e. sub-application x for querying account information andsub-application y for managing account information. Since the user hasalready deployed sub-application x, there exists a model ofsub-application x. Now only by deploying sub-application y once, a modelof sub-application y can be obtained. Thus, by acquiring models ofsub-applications x and y and generating lifecycle management informationof application W, models of x and y and the lifecycle managementinformation of application W can be stored to form a model ofapplication W. When application W needs to be deployed, automaticdeployment can be realized according to its model. By forming a model ofa composite application in a modular fashion, the users are facilitatedin deploying a large scale composite application comprising multiplesub-applications. Further, by forming a model of a composite applicationin a modular fashion, existing models of sub-applications can bere-used, and human resources for re-generating the sub-applications canbe reduced.

More embodiments can be obtained by referring to and combining theforegoing embodiments of the present invention, which is not detailedhere.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for deployingan application in a cloud computing environment, the system capable ofexecuting the foregoing method embodiments. With reference to FIGS. 7 to10, detailed illustration is presented below to various implementationsof the system.

As shown in FIG. 7, one embodiment of the present invention provides asystem 700 for deploying an application in a cloud computingenvironment. System 700 comprises: a collecting module 710 configured tocollect, when a user is deploying an application, metadata andinstructions on deploying the application; a storing module 720configured to store the collected metadata and instructions as a modelfor re-deploying the application. In this embodiment, the metadatacomprise service metadata, application metadata and topology metadata,wherein the service metadata comprise metadata on a service required fordeploying the application, the application metadata comprise metadata onthe application, and the topology metadata comprise metadata indicativeof a relationship between the service and the application. Specifically,as for descriptions and examples of the service metadata, theapplication metadata and the topology metadata, please refer to themethod embodiment and are not detailed here. With system 700 provided bythis embodiment, it is possible to help non-specialists to realizeautomatic application deployment, thereby reducing requirements onspecialized skills of application deployment and saving resourcesconsumed by duplicated deployment.

In one embodiment of the present invention, storing module 720 isfurther configured to store, according to an operational order in whichthe user deploys the application, the collected metadata andinstructions to form a model for re-deploying the application.

In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 8, storingmodule 720 comprises at least one of: a first removing sub-module 721configured to analyze the collected metadata and instructions, removeredundant metadata and instructions, and store, according to anoperational order in which the user deploys the application, theredundancy-removed metadata and instructions to form a model forre-deploying the application; a second removing sub-module 722configured to store the collected metadata and instructions according toan operational order in which the user deploys the application, analyzethe stored metadata and instructions, and form from redundancy-removedmetadata and instructions a model for re-deploying the application; afirst combining sub-module 723 configured to analyze the collectedmetadata and instructions, combine invalid metadata and instructions,and store, according to an operational order in which the user deploysthe application, the combined metadata and instructions to form a modelfor re-deploying the application; a second combining sub-module 724configured to store the collected metadata and instructions according toan operational order in which the user deploys the application, analyzethe stored metadata and instructions, and combine invalid metadata andinstructions to form a model for re-deploying the application. Thoseskilled in the art may understand where all these sub-modules exist,only part or all of the sub-modules may be started. Where all of thesub-modules are started, each of them may process the same or differentobjects.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the embodiment shown in FIG.7 may further comprise an updating module configured to: in response tothe user applying to the application which has been deployed a furtheroperation related to the deploying, collect the metadata andinstructions involved in the operation and update to the model themetadata and instructions involved in the operation, wherein themetadata involved in the operation comprise at least one of servicemetadata involved in the operation, application metadata involved in theoperation and topology metadata involved in the operation.

As shown in FIG. 9, one embodiment of the present invention provides asystem 900 for deploying an application in a cloud computingenvironment. System 900 comprises: an acquiring module 910 configured toacquire a model, the model being a model that has been obtainedaccording to the foregoing method embodiments or by the foregoingapparatus embodiments; a serving module 920 configured to prepareservices used for deploying the application according to instructionsand service metadata in the model; an applying module 930 configured topush the application to a running environment according to applicationmetadata in the model; and a binding module 940 configured to bind theprepared services to the application according to instructions andtopology metadata in the model. In this embodiment, work cooperationbetween serving module 920 and binding module 930 may be once servingmodule 920 prepares one service, binding module 940 binds the service,or after serving module 920 prepares multiple services, binding module940 binds the multiple services to the application. With system 900provided by the embodiment, it is possible to realize automaticapplication deployment, thereby avoiding manpower consumption ofduplicated deployment and reducing requirements on skills of applicationdeployment.

In one embodiment of the present invention, binding module 940 isfurther configured to: bind the prepared services to the applicationaccording to instructions and topology metadata in the model and in anorder of the instructions in the model.

In one embodiment of the present invention, serving module 920 isfurther configured to: prepare services used for deploying theapplication according to instructions and service metadata in the modeland in an order of the instructions in the model.

In one embodiment of the present invention, serving module 920 comprisesone or a combination of: a dedicated sub-module configured to, withrespect to a dedicated service, create a new dedicated service accordingto instructions and service metadata in the model; a shared sub-moduleconfigured to, with respect to a shared service, if the shared servicealready exists, use the existing shared service, if the shared servicedoes not exist, create a new shared service according to instructionsand service metadata in the model; and an external sub-module configuredto, with respect to an external service reference, create a new externalservice reference according to instructions and service metadata in themodel.

As shown in FIG. 10, one embodiment of the present invention provides asystem 1000 for deploying a composite application in a cloud computingenvironment. The composite application at least comprises a firstsub-application and a second sub-application. System 1000 comprises: anacquiring module 1010 configured to acquire models of the firstsub-application and the second sub-application, wherein the modules ofthe first sub-application and the second sub-application are obtainedaccording to the foregoing method embodiments or apparatus embodiments;a lifecycle managing module 1020 configured to generate lifecyclemanagement information of the composite application according totopology metadata in the model of the first sub-application and topologymetadata in the model of the second sub-application; and a storingmodule 1030 configured to store the model of the first sub-application,the model of the second sub-application and the lifecycle managementinformation of the composite application as a model of the compositeapplication for deploying the composite application. With system 1000provided by this embodiment, a user can reuse existing models ofsub-applications and thus acquire a model of a composite application,thereby deploying the composite application, avoiding duplicated workfor deploying the composite application and reducing requirements onskills of deploying the composite application.

Implementation details of the foregoing apparatus embodiments may referto the corresponding method embodiments. Moreover, the foregoingapparatus embodiments may make reference to one another to obtain moreexamples.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure.As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the disclosure in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the disclosure and the practical application, and toenable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the disclosurefor various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for deploying an application in a cloudcomputing environment, the method comprising: collecting, while anapplication is being deployed in the cloud computing environment,metadata and instructions on deploying the application, the metadatacomprising service metadata, application metadata and topology metadata,wherein the service metadata comprise metadata on a service created fordeploying the application, the application metadata comprise metadata onthe application, and the topology metadata comprise metadata indicativeof a relationship between the service and the application to bind theservice to the application according to the instructions, and whereinthe instructions include an instruction to create either a dedicatedservice or a shared service and when to bind the application to therespective service; storing the collected metadata and instructionsaccording to an operational order in which the application is deployedas a model for re-deploying the application in the cloud computingenvironment; automatically re-deploying, upon the model being selectedby a user, the application to a running environment according to themetadata and instructions in the model by: preparing either thededicated service or the shared service for deploying the applicationaccording to service metadata; pushing the application to the runningenvironment according to application metadata in the model; and bindingthe respective prepared service to the application according to topologymetadata in the model; and after deployment of the application andresponsive to a revision of the application, revising the model based onthe revision.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: the servicemetadata comprise one or a combination of: a type of the service, a nameof the service, an ID of the service, a version of the service and aconfiguration of the service; the application metadata comprise one or acombination of: a type of the application, a name of the application, anID of the application and a configuration of the application; and thetopology metadata comprise one or a combination of: an ID of theapplication, an ID of the service, a name of the application, a name ofthe service, a binding configuration and a binding policy.
 3. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising: preparing services used fordeploying the application according to the service metadata andinstructions in the model.
 4. The method according to claim 3, furthercomprising binding the prepared services to the application according tothe topology metadata and instructions in the model.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 4, wherein binding the prepared services to theapplication according to the topology metadata and instructions in themodel comprises binding the prepared services to the applicationaccording to the topology metadata and instructions in the model and inan order of the instructions in the model.
 6. The method according toclaim 3, wherein preparing services used for deploying the applicationaccording to the service metadata and instructions in the modelcomprises preparing services used for deploying the applicationaccording to the service metadata and instructions in the model and inan order of the instructions in the model.
 7. The method according toclaim 3, wherein preparing services used for deploying the applicationaccording to the service metadata and instructions in the modelcomprises one or a combination of: with respect to the dedicatedservice, creating a new dedicated service according to the servicemetadata and instructions in the model; with respect to the sharedservice, if the shared service already exists, using the existing sharedservice, if the shared service does not exist, creating a new sharedservice according to the service metadata and instructions in the model;and with respect to an external service reference, creating a newexternal service reference according to the service metadata andinstructions in the model.
 8. The method according to claim 1, whereinstoring the collected metadata and instructions as the model forre-deploying the application comprises at least one of: analyzing thecollected metadata and instructions to remove redundant metadata andinstructions; storing, according to the operational order in which theapplication is deployed, the redundancy-removed metadata andinstructions to form the model for re-deploying the application; storingthe collected metadata and instructions according to the operationalorder in which the application is deployed; analyzing the storedmetadata and instructions, and forming from redundancy-removed metadataand instructions the model for re-deploying the application; analyzingthe collected metadata and instructions to combine invalid metadata andinstructions; storing, according to the operational order in which theapplication is deployed, the combined metadata and instructions to formthe model for re-deploying the application; storing the collectedmetadata and instructions according to the operational order in whichthe application is deployed; and analyzing the stored metadata andinstructions, and combining invalid metadata and instructions to formthe model for re-deploying the application.
 9. The method according toclaim 1, wherein revising the model includes collecting metadata andinstructions involved in the revision of the application and updatingthe model with the metadata and instructions involved in the revision ofthe application, wherein the metadata involved in the revision of theapplication includes at least one of service metadata involved in therevision of the application, application metadata involved in therevision of the application, and topology metadata involved in therevision of the application.
 10. The method according to claim 1,further comprising determining if the application is a compositeapplication, and, if so, acquiring a model of a first sub-applicationand a model of a second sub-application, the composite applicationincluding the first and second sub-applications.